Water-power engine



y 1929. M. REIFFENSTEIN 1,722,158

WATER POWER ENGINE Filed J1me .19, 1925 Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES";

v 1,722,158 ATE'NT o-F'FIcE HANFRED REIFFENSTEIN, OF 'VIENNA, AUSTRIA.

wanna-rowan Enema.

Application flledlime 19, 1925, Serial No. 38,333, and in Austria July 2, 1924.

In the known impulse'turbines (Peltonwheels) the specific speed amounts to about 5 to 6 revolutions (ft.=lb. units) if the water is supplied by a single nozzle. 'A greater specific. speed cannot be obtained with the aid of one nozzle only, as the jet would have to be too thick compared with the diameter of the runner and thus would unfavourably influence the elliciency. Therefore in the case of greater quantities of water a number of nozzles, if necessary a number of runners disposed side by side on a shaft, are provided. The specific speed increases in proportion with the square root of th'e number of nozzles, and therefore, amountsv to 10 to 12 only in the event of four nozzles. In this resides the principal obstacle against the employment of the impulse wheels, in the event of larger quantities of water and smaller heads. These drawbacks are reinoved by the water power engine according tothe present invention. a

' The essenti l featureof the present invent-ionis that a whirl-stream ofannular crossupon the entire circumference of the said section and concentric to the runner, strikes wheel on entering it, the annular cross-section of the said whirlpool stream corresponding to the annular entry area covered by the admission-edges of the vanes of the runner.

Further, the present invention relates to the production of the whirl-stream, which is. accomplished by a spiral-casing, in which a whirling motion is imparted to the water by means of a'tangential entry, the inner layers of the annular whirlpool thus formcdfiowing off over the edge of a circular orifice provided in the side wall of the spiral casing concentric to the whirlpool.

Several modes of carrying out the presentinvention are shown by way of example on the accompanying sheet of drawings in which 1- y Figs. 1 and'2 are diagrammatic views in longitudinal section and transverse section respectively through the casing.

Owing to the steadily incoming water the inner diameter of the whirlpool annulus becomes gradually smaller until it passes below the diameter of the circular orifice 5 n the side wall 2. Now the water flows ofl' 1n anannular cross section over the edge of the circular exit with the tangential speed v directed tangentially with .respect to'the circular outlet orifice as shown in Fig. 1. The axial speed causes the flow line to be directed at an angle a with respect to the casing-wall containing the outlet orifice. The tangentially and angularly directed flow lines form a single-cased hyperboloid which however,

as shown in Fig. 2, is slightly altered in shape by gravitationfi The actual exit speed of each flow line isequal to the spoutin velocity adjoined to the head less smal losses of friction.

The runner 7 (Fig. 3) is disposed in the same axis with the whirlpool, the vanes or buckets being of particular shape.

The water leaving the runner has the following characteristic shapes during the different conditions of running:

1. [Va-load Mmm'ng.The body of water maintains its hyperbolic shape, as if a Wheel were not present.

2. The wheel 7's st0ppecl.-The whirlpool deflected by the fixed buckets of the wheel, forms a'body, which is sub-divided by the vanes and reversed in comparison to the previous whirlpool stream.

3. The proper spee(Z.-The whirl-stream is deflected in the axial direction by the vanes of the running wheel and leaves the latter as an inert trunnion (plait) of water extending in the axial direction and clearly being wound in the one or other sense if the normal speed is exceeded or not reached.

The regulation of the flow is effected by reduction of the gate opening (throttle needle or the like in the entry 4). Thereby the consumed quantity of water Q and the axial exit speed 0 are varied, while the absolute exit velocity 0 remains unaltered. The

C at an axial speed 0..., Each flow line is wall-thickness 6f 4 the smaller and the exit angle on of the current strings more acute, whereby the efiiciency'is 'also very favourable at part gates.

The water power engine can be built with i horizontal or vertical shafts, Instead of one inlet 4 only, al'soa number of inlet-pipes may be arranged in a circle. Further the exit from the casing may 'be disposed not only at the broadside as shownin Figssl and 2, but may be arranged if desired at the, spiral cylindrical mantlethereof by means of a slit provided 'in the latter. The runner may be arranged in such a manner, that the Water passes the vanes not axially as shown I in Fig. 3 but essentially in a radial direction.

Thus the water power engine according to the present invention has the following peculiarities and advantages:

1. A great flow at a highspeed and therefore the possibility of applying the favourwhirl-stream becomes 3. Reduction" of the losses 'due to water friction, as neither nozzles nor guide-vanes are "applied: I

A non-dro p n 5. Simplest regulation ,by an adjusting- .needle or the like. i

Iclaiin:"- .1. In a water power engine a rotor, means for positively producing a vortex. of liquid with inner free cylindric space and of annutex axially towards said rotor. V

2. In a water power engine, a rotor, means eiiiciency at part gates.

l'ar crossisection and for delivering said vorforming a vane free spiral conduit for positively producing a hollow vortex of liquid with inner free cylindric space andannular cross-sectional shape and for delivering said vortex axially towards said rotor. Y

3. In a water power engine the combination of a rotor comprising vanes formed to freely discharge the ,water, with means forming a vane free spiral conduit for positively producing a vortex ofwater with inner free cylindric' space and for delivering said vortex axially towards said rotor.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

'MANFRED REIFFENSTEIN.- 

